Yes I do mean the channel imbalance, it's quite weird to find them on pairs sent out on the loan tour. The crossover issue is a bit controversial actually, but Heir responded and said it was part of the design (which is still debatable). I personally see the dip to be there by design based on Heir's response. Some people say it led to the "disjointed" sound, while others say they can't hear it or sound like they are unaware of it.

I have been considering the F111. It's still the best universal I've ever heard. It's just that the cost is still too high for me, at around 200 USD more than the Tzar. I was hoping that the Tzar would give a similar performance for much less, and the F111's cable was too springy for my liking the last time I tried it.

As for the treble, I am not exactly sure how sensitive I am. I like the extremely dark ASG-1.2s. I barely notice the peaks on the GR07, while the DBA-02 mk1 was too bright for me. However, I didn't find the ER4P/S to be a sibilant/bright as the DBA-02mk1 when I tried it. I assume it would be a fit issue, but a shallow insertion (as I assume I had) with the ER4P/S would lead to a peaky-er response.

I guess I would have to find time to demo the Tzar, at this price and reputed sound no one should take a risk. Thanks for the help guys.

The channel imbalance was very disappointing to see; I heard the 4.Ai in the Asia tour, and it didn't seem to have that same issue. With regard to the dip, it has to be by design. Just FYI, I've seen plenty of other measurements with dips just as "bad", and from some pretty prominent companies too, along with other less prominent ones. This issue is way too technical to get into here, but yeah, the channel imbalance was a much bigger issue than the dip, and I think it was probably that particular unit's problem. If you have more questions about the "dip", PM me.

About the Tzar 350, MF and I have the same thoughts on it, as you can see below:

Quote:

Originally Posted by MuppetFace

Let's just say that tomscy2000, a guy who likes brighter signatures and can tolerate a lot of sibilance, found the Tzar 340 to be too sibilant for general use. Among all the IEMs I've tried over the years, it's definitely up there in the ranks of hard treble. I think Lee730's head would explode if he listened to them. I remember seeing some posts in the Tzar thread about the 350 being neutral. Um... no.

At this point, my customs stable (this term is kind of cheesy; I think I'll use "bordello" instead) consists of the JH16Pro, MH335DW, and forthcoming C435.

The Aurisonics AS-2 with gold faceplates is my primary consideration at the moment when it comes to additions to the bordello. I'm also considering the SE5 once again, though as I said before, my overly straight and narrow ear canals might make acquiring them problematic. I suppose I'll send them photos just to get an initial assessment of the feasibility.

I think you could call it your custom scuderia, stable in Italian, used by Ferrari for F1, but you certainly know that.
I am curious about the 435 so will await your impressions and Gavin's to see if they are not overly dry.

I was going to get a pair of ASG2 but the thread is so plagued by ********tism that the communist party here in China would envy that I find myself wary...your impressions on the ASG 2 are my most awaited as I think you are not influenced by anything but your ears.

As far as the se5, Gzregorz did manage SE3s for my wife whose canals are curvy toothpicks. So ask him...5 bores is a crowd. But my honest opinion so far...I have a thing for these CIEMs....maybe because I always dreamed of getting a pair. The sound is totally visceral to me. Unlike anything else. I think you should try
I haven't heard the JH13Pro, but I do own the JH16Pro. It actually sounds very good with a bit of high end emphasis giving it a more over sense of detail. Not sure it has all that much air, though it has a lively presentation. Bass is pretty significantly boosted, which to my understanding is the biggest difference with the JH13Pro (less bass emphasis). While it definitely packs a ton of bass, it thankfully manages to keep from flopping all over the place for the most part. Imaging is spot on and the sense of space is really well defined, what I presume to be an effect of their "Freq-Phase."

Build quality is mediocre at best. The tips of the stems in particular are rough and have pockmarks. The cables are also really difficult to insert and remove, and they don't sit flush with the sockets, always sticking out partially.

The biggest issue I have is with the JH-3A amp. Based on my experience with the unit I was sent, I have to say it's essentially a failure. Which is a shame because the JH16Pro does sound marginally better when paired with it.

What do you mean by technical problems, exactly? I recall that the US tour unit of the 4Ai had some funky channel imbalance. Others have said things like "the crossover is flawed," but I'm not so sure that's the a reasonable conclusion. Mostly just curious if there's something else I hadn't heard about.

The Tzar 350 is one of the most hyper-revealing earphones I've ever encountered. It's also one of the most sibilant. Pretty much anything setting that region off will be potentially problematic. It's definitely a "listen mostly to mid-centric audiophile recordings" kind of thing in my opinion. That, or a diagnostic tool. Or a torture device.

If you're looking for an ER4S with a more forgiving fit, you might want to consider the FitEar F111. It's similar to the Etys in some respects, though it's a bit more refined and, compared to the Heirs, a more balanced listen.

At this point, my customs stable (this term is kind of cheesy; I think I'll use "bordello" instead) consists of the JH16Pro, MH335DW, and forthcoming C435.

The Aurisonics AS-2 with gold faceplates is my primary consideration at the moment when it comes to additions to the bordello. I'm also considering the SE5 once again, though as I said before, my overly straight and narrow ear canals might make acquiring them problematic. I suppose I'll send them photos just to get an initial assessment of the feasibility.
[/quote]

At this point, my customs stable (this term is kind of cheesy; I think I'll use "bordello" instead) consists of the JH16Pro, MH335DW, and forthcoming C435.

The Aurisonics AS-2 with gold faceplates is my primary consideration at the moment when it comes to additions to the bordello. I'm also considering the SE5 once again, though as I said before, my overly straight and narrow ear canals might make acquiring them problematic. I suppose I'll send them photos just to get an initial assessment of the feasibility.

I think you could call it your custom scuderia, stable in Italian, used by Ferrari for F1, but you certainly know that.
I am curious about the 435 so will await your impressions and Gavin's to see if they are not overly dry.

I was going to get a pair of ASG2 but the thread is so plagued by ********tism that the communist party here in China would envy that I find myself wary...your impressions on the ASG 2 are my most awaited as I think you are not influenced by anything but your ears.

As far as the se5, Gzregorz did manage SE3s for my wife whose canals are curvy toothpicks. So ask him...5 bores is a crowd. But my honest opinion so far...I have a thing for these CIEMs....maybe because I always dreamed of getting a pair. The sound is totally visceral to me. Unlike anything else. I think you should try

I think you could call it your custom scuderia, stable in Italian, used by Ferrari for F1, but you certainly know that.
I am curious about the 435 so will await your impressions and Gavin's to see if they are not overly dry.

I was going to get a pair of ASG2 but the thread is so plagued by ********tism that the communist party here in China would envy that I find myself wary...your impressions on the ASG 2 are my most awaited as I think you are not influenced by anything but your ears.

As far as the se5, Gzregorz did manage SE3s for my wife whose canals are curvy toothpicks. So ask him...5 bores is a crowd. But my honest opinion so far...I have a thing for these CIEMs....maybe because I always dreamed of getting a pair. The sound is totally visceral to me. Unlike anything else. I think you should try

Mimouille - how does your wife like the SE3? I've always been a bit curious about the SEs but like others, have doubts they'd fit my ears due to the sheer amount of electronics and bores involved

It is really odd to me because she has very fine hearing, better than mine, but is not an audiophile. I just got her the se3 because she has very thin canals and no iems fit in her ears well, whatever the tips. But as she is not audiophile and has been ultra busy, she barely tried them...and of course uses an iPod. But two impressions: fit and comfort are perfect, and as for the sound, she said: they sound very very clear and with bass that comes from very deep. I will tell you more later. If se3 fit her ears, they will fit any ears.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Idsynchrono_24

Mimouille - how does your wife like the SE3? I've always been a bit curious about the SEs but like others, have doubts they'd fit my ears due to the sheer amount of electronics and bores involved

It is really odd to me because she has very fine hearing, better than mine, but is not an audiophile. I just got her the se3 because she has very thin canals and no iems fit in her ears well, whatever the tips. But as she is not audiophile and has been ultra busy, she barely tried them...and of course uses an iPod. But two impressions: fit and comfort are perfect, and as for the sound, she said: they sound very very clear and with bass that comes from very deep. I will tell you more later. If se3 fit her ears, they will fit any ears.

Placed orders on a few anime-related figures, funds cutting off early and rethinking again about that CIEM gift for myself. It's just not worth it IMO to get it just to have my waifu's picture in my ear. On the other hand, having something custom fitted should be a great investment; but I'm not sure if it's worth it for anything in my budget of $400 (now with the knowledge of reduced funds, even adding $100 is a no go). Hmm hmm hmm.

On a completely different topic, would anyone here say that a Sony XBA-1 is worth $30? I've already got two single BAs, a Fischer Audio SBA-01 and a Mee A151. I'm also listening to my UE700 almost daily. And of course, I could always apply that $30 towards the Flat4 or a decent audition with the RE-400. But here's the thing, I'm a sucker for cheap deals. Should I just let the XBA-01 pass, or jump on it?

I think the XBA-1 for $30 makes for a comfortable and nice backup earphone, but only get it if you are super curious about the sound, otherwise they will probably spend life unused like my pair. If I had a spare $30 I would put it towards an RE-400 no question. Someone I know ordered an XBA-10 though so I'm curious how they compare.

Edit: By backup pair I mean that I literally stow spare headphones away in various places in case I forget to bring a pair out for the day.

Okay thanks, I think I'll pass on them. I don't know a thing about them, and I'm not terribly curious about the sound. Just surprised that there's a BA (even if it is a single BA) out there for $30. I think that my UE700 will soon become my back-up pair. Got a UE900 coming in as a review unit soon (hopefully).

Quote:

Originally Posted by a_recording

Also, I uploaded a CKN70 review! :3

They had me until you started talking about the cable. Ugh, J-cables. I'm a big fan of symmetry, and J-cables annoy me quite a bit. But nice review!

Quote:

Originally Posted by MuppetFace

I haven't heard the JH13Pro, but I do own the JH16Pro. It actually sounds very good with a bit of high end emphasis giving it a more over sense of detail. Not sure it has all that much air, though it has a lively presentation. Bass is pretty significantly boosted, which to my understanding is the biggest difference with the JH13Pro (less bass emphasis). While it definitely packs a ton of bass, it thankfully manages to keep from flopping all over the place for the most part. Imaging is spot on and the sense of space is really well defined, what I presume to be an effect of their "Freq-Phase."

Build quality is mediocre at best. The tips of the stems in particular are rough and have pockmarks. The cables are also really difficult to insert and remove, and they don't sit flush with the sockets, always sticking out partially.

Oops, sorry, thought I remembered a JH13 somewhere in there. For me, I had always thought I'd end my CIEM dreams with a JH16. But after what happened with yours, I'm getting a strong sense of "boo" about it. Thankfully, by the time I'm ready to go there, a host of other options will be available it seems.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MuppetFace

Let's just say that tomscy2000, a guy who likes brighter signatures and can tolerate a lot of sibilance, found the Tzar 340 to be too sibilant for general use. Among all the IEMs I've tried over the years, it's definitely up there in the ranks of hard treble. I think Lee730's head would explode if he listened to them.

I'm with Tom in that I tend to favor brighter sigs as well. But at the same time I am horribly sensitive to sibilance. I think that's one thing that's always made can selection hard for me. Trying to find something that is bright (and also airy) but without any hint of sibilance.

Any thoughts about the vacation? BTW, THE Show in Newport is in late May...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tilpo

Quote:

Originally Posted by a_recording

And suddenly this thread just becomes spoiler tags booooo.

Well, at least it's easy to scroll. You also don't have to bother skimming the post for potential interesting information, because you already know it doesn't concern you.

Actually, there was a little blurb about the Axiom of Choice and the Axiom of Determinancy that might have interested you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jgray91

Placed orders on a few anime-related figures, funds cutting off early and rethinking again about that CIEM gift for myself. It's just not worth it IMO to get it just to have my waifu's picture in my ear.